


Audience Participation

by Caedmon



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Actors, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-16
Updated: 2018-02-16
Packaged: 2019-03-19 12:25:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13704435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caedmon/pseuds/Caedmon
Summary: John Smith has finally worked up the courage to let his girlfriend, Rose, come to one of his shows. Now all he needs is some audience participation.





	Audience Participation

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SelenaTerna](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SelenaTerna/gifts).



> This is a gift for SelenaTerna to help celebrate her trip to see Christopher Eccleston on stage! I hope it happens just like this for you, love. 
> 
> Thank you to Rose--Nebula for the quick beta. And it WAS quick, because this thing was written in a blink. Please forgive any mistakes - they're all on me.

John Smith was an actor. He’d been in various television shows and even a couple of movies, but his heart was on the stage, and it was there he always returned. He had a reputation for being serious and solid with a heavy personality - a reputation that suited him and he was proud of. But in the last five months, since he met Rose Tyler in the shop where she worked, he’d lightened up considerably. 

He hadn’t known what he was missing until she came along and filled in the gaps. Life was sweeter with her, and he felt himself fairly glowing whenever she was around. She’d had no idea who he was when they met, and he’d kept it that way for as long as he could before he felt compelled to tell her that he was an actor. She’d wanted to watch his work, but the idea of sitting beside her while she watched was agonizing, so she watched alone - and then lavished him with kisses and praise afterwards. Predictably, she’d started asking to come see him perform live, and John had put her off for a while. Tonight, however, was the night. 

Getting ready, John battled down the nerves that were assailing him. The nerves never completely went away, not for John, but he’d learned to master them, to channel them. These were bigger than his usual butterflies, though. His love was going to be watching him work, and he couldn’t help but be nervous. 

His phone went off and he grabbed it up, smiling at the screen. 

Rose - _You’ll be brilliant tonight and I’ll be watching from seat 9B. Break a leg! I love you!_

He texted something back to her, not sure what, still smiling when there was a knock on the door. John looked up. 

“Two minutes, Mr. Smith.”

He thanked the young assistant and took a deep breath, rolling his shoulders, rocking his head from one side to the other, trying to relax. This was the biggest performance of his life, and he had to nail it. He checked his costume one more time for what he needed, then started towards the stage, wanting to check with the powers that be just _one more time_ to make sure everything was in place. 

~*~O~*~

“I can’t let you do that. I can’t let you risk yourself like that, Simmons,” Jack said from across the stage.

“It’s my job! Do you understand? I have to risk myself, or the Prime Minister could lose everything!” John said, his voice booming through the theater as he emoted for the audience. Rose was just a few yards away, the lights from the stage illuminating her. Even if they hadn’t, her smile would have lit up the surrounding area effectively. He could see the pride on her face and it swelled his chest.

“Let him lose!” his co-star said, and John threw his hands up in consternation, turning out to face the audience. He was supposed to be staring into space but like a magnet, his eyes went to Rose. She beamed up at him and he hoped like hell that no one saw the corner of his mouth twitch in response. He was supposed to be serious right then. 

Then Rose mouthed, “I love you” up at him, and John’s opportunity had come. 

“Stop, stop,” he said, turning back around with his hands up, interrupting Jack. “Stop the play, we have to stop.”

“John,” Jack hissed in a stage whisper. “What are you doing?”

“That woman,” John said dramatically, spinning around to point directly at a shocked-looking Rose. “Is distracting me. Ushers, would you please get her out of her seat and bring her to the stage? Seat 9b, thank you.”

Jack quietly and effectively hid himself in the scenery, as planned, and John started the monologue he’d prepared for this moment. 

“The woman they’re removing from her seat is not any ordinary woman. For nearly four decades, I’ve walked this earth and I’ve done so alone. It’s been a journey that I’ve enjoyed, for the most part, but that’s because I didn’t know what I was missing. This woman, Rose Tyler, showed me. She is sweetness and light. She is my comfort at night. She is everything I want to be, and all I want out of the rest of my life is to take care of her, to make her happy.”

Rose appeared in the wings and John called her out onto the stage. When she hesitated, he walked over and pulled her out to center stage. 

“This woman is everything I need, she’s everything I want. And I’m stopping this play in front of all of you,” he indicated the audience, “to ask her to marry me.”

The audience gasped and so did Rose, but John did his best to quell his rampaging nerves. He got down on one knee and took Rose’s hand in his. “You’re everything to me, love. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, want to be your husband. Please let me.”

Time dragged around him and it was like swimming in molasses, but after what was actually only a second, a tearful Rose asked, “Are you sure? I’m just a shopgirl.”

“I’ve never been so sure about anything in my life. Please,” he asked again. 

Twin tears spilled from her eyes at the same time she nodded with her hand covering her smile. The audience burst into wild applause, cheering for them, and completely forgetting the ring for the moment, John got to his feet and pulled his newly-minted fiancee into a fierce hug.

“I love you,” he whispered, this time for her ears alone.

“I love you, too,” she said on a breathy laugh, and he pulled back from her to take her left hand and slide the ring into its place. As soon as that was done the two of them were kissing, barely clinging to decency in front of the cheering audience. 

As had been planned beforehand, Jack walked to the front of the stage to thank the audience for their participation, and John knew he had to tell her goodbye for now. 

“I have to get back to work.”

“Yeah, I’d say so,” she giggled. 

“Meet me in my dressing room in twenty minutes?”

“I’ll be there waiting.”

He hugged her again, then walked her over to the ushers who were waiting in the wings to escort her. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. Gonna marry you.”

“Fantastic,” he said, giving her one last, little kiss.


End file.
